Love and War
by Lexon135
Summary: Bowser/Peach fluff. Two kingdoms have been at peace and its driving them into the pits. A conspiracy to start a war arises to stop the decline before it's too late. What better way to start a war than a kidnapping? unexpectedly some things change
1. Chapter 1

Love and War

Written by: Lexon135 aka Avcthedm on other websites

Authors note: Hey guys. You know the drill, I don't own most of the characters but the ones I make up feel free to use. I'm not really jealous. Just don't copy this and not give me credit. Like every person I love reviews.

There was absolutely nothing going on for Princess Peach. Nada, Zip, Zilch. Months had gone by since the ceasefire between the Mushroom Kingdom and the Kingdom of the Darklands. Why then was the economy in a horrible position; Why was everyone unhappy? It seemed like every single day more complaints were sent to the palace by merchants going out of business because their products were no longer needed. Peach sifted through one from a manufacturer of POW blocks and glanced over another from a farmer who cultivated fire flowers. She felt horrible because the empathy she used to feel for every citizen of her kingdom seemed to have diminished. She desperately wanted to ironically want to help her kingdom but she couldn't. Something was missing

The king of Koopas stood upon his balcony alone. Being king had been less and less what he had expected. When he took the job he had a vision of an empire with him at the top of its pyramid. He had stood upon this same balcony on his floating castle and seen this empire the night he became king. Now he saw nothing but a vast and foreign land.

"Lord Bowser" came a voice from behind. "We are still awaiting your answer". The voice belonged to a timid magikoopa.

"You'll have it," said Bowser. There was a certain fatigue in the king's voice, which allowed for the majikoopa to maintain his calm. The magikoopa had expected a Bowser who was an unforgiving tyrant, a fiend among fiends. What stood before the magikoopa now definitely had the figure and the potential but lacked a certain aura.

"We only have a month to respond your most horridness and the sooner the…"

"I said LEAVE ME ALONE!" yelled Bowser. His arms were tensed and he looked to kill. A much different being stood before the majikoopa. A being poles apart from the disheartened shell of a koopa.

"Yessir" said the majikoopa quickly vanishing.

Once again the balcony was quiet, peaceful, and somber.

" Well as I am sure you are all aware the economy has officially entered a depression," said Tight T. Toad through his mustache. "We are expecting a further decline in the economy unless some new legislature is introduced. With that being said let this congregation of the senate begin"

A rather large toad stood up with some difficulty. He smiled as he looked at his colleagues. " Permission to address the senate?" requested the toad.

"Permission granted," said Tight T. Toad "You may begin Mr. Lock N. Toad"

"I begin by asking you all how the mushroom kingdom has become the most prosperous nation and remained so until this day. Does anyone know?" The senate was quiet. "Well I'm sure you all know, nobody wants to say it though. I will say it, however, we have remained prosperous due to war". All the senators began to shuffle uncomfortably in their seats and whisper amongst themselves.

Finally one of the younger toads spoke up "What are you suggesting then? That we start a war!?"

"Well I won't sugar coat it. Basically yes that is what I'm suggesting"

One of the older toads took their turn to speak "Isn't it also true that the majority of your money creating weapons such as the bomber bill 3000?"

"May I remind you that our duty is to serve the mushroom kingdom. We must act in its best interest. My personal gain is not even a factor"

"_Sure…"_ muttered one of the toads. It was know that Lock N. Toad was a tycoon in every aspect of his life. His goal was to win with the largest prize and if that meant a beneficial relationship more the better but if it meant making enemies so be it. The prize justified all the means.

Tight T. Toad banged his gavel " Lock N. Toad you forget your place. We of the mushroom kingdom pride ourselves in never having instigated a war. We will search for an alternative"

"Your honor, with all due respect, who said we would instigate the war?"

"What are we going to do? Ask for a war" laughed Tight T. Toad. The rest of the senators joined in.

"What if I said yes?"

" House of Representatives come to order," said Krank E. Koopa clearly upset, not that this was anything out of ordinary. Today his anger came from the fact that their king's seat was empty. Lord Bowser had made it a habit to not show from time to time but today of all days was unacceptable. "As you all should know by now we have the SAME matter of the purchase of the select region of the Darklands. Wart demands an answer by the end of the month. Of course our past two votes to approve this sale mean absolutely nothing without his royal pain's signature. The only way we are going to do anything is if we get 80 of the house to go around his authority. With our current house of 200 I find it very annoying that we can only get 62. Come on people we all know it's inevitable. Lets get this show moving so we can start talking about REAL issues like retirement plans"

"Sir" spoke up a young magikoopa "Aren't you supposed to be nonpartial in your speech"

"And who are you?" asked Krank E. in a false tone of endearment

"I'm Kerry Koopa sir, an intern"

"You're an intern… THEN SHUT UP AND GET ME SOME COFFEE!!" yelled the angry koopa. Kerry needed no further encouragement as he ran out of the chamber faster than a pokey being chase by a Yoshi. "Young whippersnappers and their ideas… I swear the next generation is gonna be the death of us all…"

The court began to chatter as they usually did when not under supervision of Lord Bowser. It was enough to drive a koopa insane! "Alright stop your chatterboxes and lets vote again! All in favor raise your hand". The remaining interns quickly took a tally.

"Sir of the 200, 137 have voted in favor of selling the select portion of the Darklands bringing the approval rating to 68.5"

"Alright so we have 69, that's a little better but still…"

"It doesn't round sir" chimed in the Koopa

"What doesn't round?" asked Krank E.

"The percent sir"

"DON'T YOU TELL ME WHAT DOES OR WHAT DOESN'T ROUND! I'VE RUN THIS SHOW SINCE BEFORE YOU WERE BORN! NOW GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!" The koopa fled just as fleetly as his predecessor. "Now I suppose we will just have to move on… Next topic "recruiting new interns…""

"You CANNOT be serious!" yelled Tie D. Toad "You will get yourself thrown in Bowser's dungeon"

"Tie D., Tie D. risks are necessary for any success. I know the risk I have to take and I'm taking it. I'm sure a butler like you couldn't understand"

"Yes sir" said the toad. He was a little disheartened by his master's rebuttal but could not help but hope for his safe return. Sure, Lock N. Toad had always been mean to him and treated him like dirt but he knew the other side to him. He had paid off his debts when his piranha plant gardening business flopped and given him shelter, food, and pay. "Be safe"

Here it was, Bowser's Castle. It hovered in the sky like a portentous cloud serving as a harbinger for some of the darkest and most foul crimes in all of the world. He wasn't quite sure how to get up there so he sat and waited on the ground below. Suddenly a beam of bright light focused on the toad; forcing him to shield his eyes with his hands. Before he was any the wiser a large humming noise was coming from above his head. He looked up to see a clown copter hovering. "Who goes there?" asked a voice.

"My name is Lock N. Toad and I have come here to make a proposal to Bowser"

"To Bowser?" the voice broke out laughing "and what makes you think that the lord of the Darklands will listen to someone as insignificant as you?"

"I represent the Mushroom Kingdom senate and we wish to make a proposal to his um… evilness"

The guard was a little baffled by this. He wasn't quite sure what to do. If he sent the toad away he might have angered the Mushroom Kingdom and the blame would fall on him. On the other hand if he took him into the castle and he sabotaged it then it would also be his fault when the castle blew up. He pondered for a moment. He had it! He would take him to his superior and make _him_ decide what to do. It was genius! "come with me"…

Finally Lock N. Toad made it through to someone intelligent. "So Mr. Krank E. Koopa are we agreed?"

"Yes but have you thought of a means to bring the whole nation to war, It is no simple task to simply initiate war"

"It's a lot simpler than you think my good man. All we have to do is fool two people.

"Bowser" said Krank E. Koopa

"Peach" said Lock N. Toad.

"Your most awful, wretched, horridness" said Krank E. Koopa in his most flattering tone.

"Yes" said a clearly bored king of koopas. " I'll come sign the bill now if that's what you are here for"

"I actually have some good news for you sire. The house has decided to nullify the bill that took the power to declare war away from you!"

"Whoopdee freakin doo" said Bowser no more interested. "What is the point of being a king if you are miserable?"

"Lets forget about that for now," said Krank E. Koopa "Don't you want to go start a war. I know! Lets attack the mushroom kingdom!"

"Why bother! All that's going to happen is after a few days of plundering and pillaging MARIO is going to come and _SAVE THE DAY!_ Nothing I do can stop it! And worst of all I must feel the separation between me and my love!"

"Wow he is such a mental case" thought Krank E. Koopa. Fortunately he had though of this. "Actually, your rotteness, I have a letter from a certain princess."

"Give it to me!" demanded Bowser. He smelled the letter over. "Hmm that's weird. Peach always puts perfume on her letters". Krank E. stared at him strangely "I mean… so I've heard." Feeling no need to better explain himself Bowser ripped open the letter, careful though to protect It's contents.

The Letter Read

_Dear Bowser,_

_Though I hate to admit it I am in need of your help. It seems both our Kingdoms are in dire need of an economic stimulus. I believe war is the best stimulus possible. In order to start the war, however, I will need you to kidnap me… _

_I'll be waiting_

_3 Peach 3_

"That doesn't sound much like Peach…" said Bowser. Krank E. was praying he was not discovered. He thought he had done well to hire a calligraphist to forge her handwriting. "I guess she's read some economics books" said Bowser. Krank E. let out a sigh of relief.

"So will you kidnap her" asked Krank E. Koopa

Bowser laughed. He was once again himself. "Of course I will!" he exclaimed "You can't leave a lady waiting!"

Lock N. Toad felt like he got the harder part of the bargain. He had to convince Peach to stand at a certain place at a certain time, oh and lets not forget; he had to convince her to let Bowser kidnap her.

"There is absolutely no way I'll do it!" exclaimed Peach " I wouldn't go with Bowser willingly for a million coins!"

Suddenly Lock N. Toad was inspired. He knew just what to say. "But Princess don't you see. It is for millions of coins to be distributed amongst the people. Princess, the people seek financial relief. Every day more and more houses are being forclosed on. Entire zones are being vacated! Peach, this is a relief that only you can give the people. Besides, it has all been arranged so that you are guaranteed a safe return once all the fighting is over"

Peach was obviously phased by this. He had used her empathy against her and was quite smug of the fact though he wouldn't dare show it on his face. "what about the war though?"

"Princess, nobody ever dies from these things. Sure a few toads get turned into animals and a few koopas get their heads stepped on; but all in all nobody is worse for the wear"

Peach wasn't sure what to do. She wanted to feel alive again. She wanted the thrilling hope she got every time Mario came to save her. And on top she would be helping her people in the long run, right? I mean the worst injury she had heard of was some 3rd degree burns from falling in lava but it was nothing beyond repair. She made her decision, "O.K. I'll do it".

Authors ending note:

Sorry there was no fluff yet but I have to establish the story. I hope you liked reading it as much as I liked writing it though. Next chapter is REALLY fun. Review


	2. Chapter 2

Love and War chapter 2

Authors note: So I got to the fluff at the end of this chapter which is what you probably were waiting for. I'd like to thank you all for reading so far and I hope you continue to read on. Sorry this chapter is kind of short but I had some writers block. I knew what I wanted to say but I didn't know how to say it. Like any fanfiction this is the part where I say I don't own some of the characters but the ones I do feel free to use. Please give me reviews on what you liked and what you didn't like so I can become a better writer. Thanks and enjoy!

It wasn't pleasant but it was at least convenient that Peach knew of her kidnapping ahead of time. It gave her the opportunity to create something she called her "Princess Emergency Kit". She packed everything she could think of that could possibly aid her.

First she put in three pieces of candy. They could be a possible snack or used for a small bribe. Next came a parasol. She was careful not to take her favorite for fear it may be ruined but it was classy enough and practical. Some makeup and lipstick was a must, as she wanted to be looking pristine for Mario when he came to save her. She finished the small purse sized pack with a small pouch of coins just in case. She sighed and flopped down on her bed. A small smile crept up on her face. Things were about to pick up.

Bowser was alone by himself yet again but this time he was not depressed. He could almost be described as the polar opposite. " …and then I'll go through the roof with a clown copter and land right in front of her. She'll be so impressed! No! If I land in front of her she might be hit with debris… I have it! I'll land right in front of the castle and charge in bursting through the doors! YES!". It was only a matter of time now before he could see _her._ 3 hours 26 minutes and 13 seconds…

"I bring this senate into session!" said Tight T. Toad. His voice lacked all luster or any sense of excitement. "I expect that today we will be free of any radical ideas". It was obvious who that last part was targeted at but Lock just smiled. He had taken matters into his own hands and as long as the rest of the senate was in the dark for the next 2 hours and 18 minutes he was in the clear. The only people aware of the dark scheme at hand were Krank E. Koopa and himself. Peach was told that it was a matter of national importance and there was no doubt she would keep her mouth shut. All he had to take care of now was the Mario brothers. He needed a way to keep them oblivious to the fact that Peach was gone and he knew just how.

A knock was heard that the Mario brothers door. Mario rushed to the door. He had been on his toes ready for something exciting to happen. Upon opening the door he discovered that nobody was there. He looked down to see a sheet of paper. Upon picking it up he read the words "World's Largest Pasta Festival!"

His mouth began to water just at seeing the tantalizing images printed on the paper. "Luigi come here! You won't believe this!"

After looking over the flier he frowned a little. "What's the matter?" asked Mario a little peeved at his brother.

"Mario this flier says that the festival is at 626 Dark Dark Alley. Haven't you heard about that end of town?"

Any Kingdom had an area or two that was known for being a little sketchy and Mushroom Kingdom was no different. The name of the area in the Mushroom Kingdom was Dark Dark Alley. Of course there was never any proof of anything it was common knowledge that if one needed anything, ranging from harmless flowers to perhaps a vicious chain chomp, it could be found there. Mario was so excited that he tended to overlook small things like this when he had a prize in mind.

"Oh come on" said Mario "I'm sure it's not as bad as people make it out to be". Mario jumped up onto the pipe outside their house that led to the famous Mushroom Kingdom pipe zone, an intersection of pipes that could take you almost anywhere in the kingdom. "Come on letsa go!"

Watching Mario vanish down the pipe Luigi muttered, " I hope you're right about this place". He followed his brother to their unexpected capture.

Bowser was on his way to the mushroom kingdom on his clown copter. It was rather strange that he was going alone with no troops whatsoever but Krank E. had convinced him that it was the best idea. Of course it didn't take too much convincing as Bowser was eagerly anticipating alone time with his love. He thought of her hair blowing in the clown copter as she sat gazing down at the kingdom that diminished as they drew closer and closer to the Darklands. Yes, she did often look sad but she was soo beautiful at the same time; like a porcelain figure too good to be true.

"Losing altitude," warned the controls on the copter. Bowser quickly grabbed the wheel a little embarrassed at his daydreaming.

"Soon" he thought as a devilish grin spread on his face

The Mario brothers arrived at the building. It wasn't much of a sight. In fact it was kind of an eyesore. The bricks that composed the wall were a nasty purple and green and it looked as though nobody had washed them in years. The door did bear a small posted sign that said "Pasta Festival Here!" however so the two walked inside.

"H-Hello?" said Luigi. The building was empty and Luigi had already encountered one too many ghosts as a result of a fake invitation.

"Welcome there!" said a cheerful voice. From the far side of the building two figures were seen encompassed in shadow.

A candle was lit and the two figures were identified as toads. "You're here for the pasta festival right?" said the first toad pleasantly. He was dressed in expensive looking clothes while the second looked like a butler or a waiter. The brothers guessed the latter. "Sorry about the lights, we had a electric failure"

"So where's the pasta?" asked Luigi a little more confident he had misjudged the place"

"Right this way sir" said the waiter. He led the two to a door that had a faint light coming through the cracks. The Mario brothers opened the door to see something completely different than they expected. There were two cribs and baby toys. Mario began to turn around when suddenly there was a flash of light.

At the floor sat two babies crying. "Perfect!" exclaimed Lock N. Toad. "Now all you have to do is watch them and make sure they don't get out"

"Yes sir" said Tie D. He was less than pleased about what he was doing but he did owe it to his master. Besides, it wasn't like they were hurting the Mario brothers. "I'm sure they are more of a threat to me," he muttered to himself as his master excused himself from the room. He didn't know how right he was.

Peach stood upon her balcony. It was almost impossible for her to sit still. In 20 minutes Bowser would be here. She was mentally debating taking her picture of Mario. She had the room but she just wasn't sure she wanted to take it. She didn't know why it just didn't seem right. She justified it by thinking "I wouldn't want anything to happen to it. Besides, I'll see him soon again.

She placed the picture back in her room next to one of herself. She looked at the two and felt horrible. She almost felt like she didn't love Mario. She loved the red plumber who rescued her but she wasn't sure that after the battle was won that the plain old Mario held any excitement, any adventure. What was she saying! She was confusing love and excitement. At least she hoped she was…

She sat out on the balcony waiting for Bowser. 13 more minutes until the koopa's arrival. She saw a blip in the night sky approaching at a rapid speed. He was a little early but reflecting on the past she should have anticipated it.

The clown copter was headed at a high speed towards the castle. "Wait!" yelled Peach hoping to prevent one of Bowser's dramatic entrances that ended up costing 100 or more. "I'm over here"

Bowser's copter changed directions and came up to the side of the balcony. "I've come to rescue you," said the koopa king. He held out a hand over the balcony.

"I can get in myself," said Peach sounding more annoyed than she was "It's not like I'm helpless". She hiked up her dress and got one foot on the balcony. Nevertheless Bowser offered out his hand.

While lifting the other foot to the balcony she tripped falling forward. She screamed loud attracting the attention of the guards and people passing by. She felt a jolt as Bowser grabbed her hand. "Don't let go!" said Peach instinctively.

He helped her up into the copter and stood there for a moment gazing into her eyes as she gazed back. There was no fear this time but simple curiosity and innocence that looked back at him. Snapping out of it Peach turned away "You can let go of my hand now"

Bowser laughed, "Sorry princess you told me never to let go so I'm granting your wish". Peach yanked her hand out of his and gave him an upset look more out of tradition than anger. Bowser only gave her a toothy grin in response.

A shout came from below "It's Bowser and he's kidnapped the princess!"

"That's our cue to leave," said Bowser as he took the copter up, up, and up. They were soaring in the sky above the clouds. It was a beautiful sight to see and it brought a stomach full of butterflies to Peach every time. Fortunately she wasn't bound of being held on to so she was able to fully appreciate the view.

"So Peach are you excited to once again be liberated from the dreadfully dull life of a princess?" asked Bowser. "You could always be a queen if you wanted, fortunately for you the spot is still open but I would hurry cause koopas as sexy as me don't stay bachelors for long"

"I wish you would be quiet sometimes. I wouldn't marry you in a thousand years"

"Well of course not" said Bowser with his toothy grin "That's much too long to wait"

Peach sighed. Saying anything at all only encouraged Bowser. She refused to give him ammunition. She turned away from him and her eye caught on to a duffel bag sitting at Bowser's feet.

Curiosity got the better of her and she decided to ask. "What's in the duffel bag? Bombombs?"

Bowser bent down and opened it with one hand keeping the other on the steering wheel. After lurching the copter a few times he opened it and to Peach's surprise there was a bouquet of flowers inside. "Eh? How did that get in there?" asked Bowser to himself. "Well I certainly don't want these… do you want them?"

Peach felt strange. It was a warm feeling on the inside. She took the bouquet and smelt it. It was definitely fresh. She was debating on saying thank you or not with herself. She came to a compromise, "Whoever picked these flowers has good taste". She looked at Bowser and saw him light up. She smiled without even realizing it. Bowser watched her and the two simply gazed into each other's eyes.

"Losing altitude", warned the navigations system. Bowser broke off to focus on driving again. He reminded himself to destroy the navigations system when he got home.


End file.
